28th Wednesday of Ordinary Time

From the Word of the Day

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.(Galatians 5: 24)

How should we live this Word

We should really learn this list of fruits by heart. The mere action of repeating it within ourselves seems to produce a new harmony. They are nine words that describe in synthesis the result of the presence of the Spirit in us received with awareness. They are nine words that express a being inhabited by God to the point of overflowing the Presence in these ways. They are nine transparent words that the ‘whitened sepulchers’ are not able to articulate! These nine words unveil the ambiguity of the Law and overturn it a bit, without violence, without moralizing, but only with the logic of the Beatitudes.

Lord, grant that the fruits of the Spirit may germinate and connote in us the actions of our charity, solidarity, justice, and mercy.

The voice of Cardinal G. Ravasi

Paul opens to his readers the bright horizon of the Spirit who generates in the heart and in the life of the faithful nine virtues whose list is articulated in a ternary way. The first three, open to love and are followed by joy and peace. Then enter magnanimity, benevolence, and goodness that recall the preceding trilogy in regard to our rapport with our neighbor. Finally there enter fidelity, meekness, and self-control, which are virtues of a personal nature. It is on this triple trilogy that we must model our journey according to the Spirit, that is, our new existence as those redeemed by Christ.